Thelda’s Cherry Cheesecake

I got this recipe from my mother-in-law who got it from her mother who got it from one of her friends named Thelda. That’s all I really know about the origins. I do know however, that this is one of my husband’s all time favorite desserts. The only thing that would make it better would be if we had home bottled cherries to put on top.

Crust:
 2 cups flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup butter or margarine
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)
Cream butter; add sugar, flour and nuts, if desired. Combine well. Spread loosely on a cookie sheet. Bake 15 minutes at 400 degrees. Crumble with a fork often while baking (I usually do it every 5 minutes). Remove from oven and cool slightly. Line a 9x13 baking dish with 2/3 of the crumbs.

Filling:

8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
4 cups cool whip or 1 pint whipped cream
1 teaspoon vanilla.
Mix all together until well combined. Spread over crumbs in baking dish. Top with 2 cans thickened pie cherries (cherry pie filling). Sprinkle remaining crumbs over the top. Chill well.

*This dessert can also be made using 2 cups fresh strawberries and 1 package of Danish Dessert in lieu of the cherries.